How to Grill a Whole Chicken
Meat on the bone is always tastier. Okay perverts, that's not where I'm going with this. Oh, that's not what you were thinking? Well, I guess I'm the weirdo. Bone in meat is always more tender and has more flavor. It just does. Not to mention., a whole chicken is like $10. With our chicken, we each ate the dark meat quarters, and then I shredded the breasts for later use. They also make great leftovers! Its, cheap, easy and versatile. And if you have a pair of kitchen shears, then you too can practice your amateur butcher skills in your kitchen. Because who hasn't secretly aspired to be an amateur butcher? Well not me, and probably not you. I guess maybe that one is a little bit out of left field. Which is so a-typical of my personality... I mean I have lazer focus when it comes to... nothing. I swear at one point in my life I was intelligent. But having children and being home all day with them has deprived my brain of the ability to think in a linear fashion. My thoughts are so fragmented from constantly multitasking that I actually had to think about my name when making a doctor appt the other day. (Um... Amy?) Not because I don't know it, but because I had to recenter my focus since I was doing 3 other things; something I'm sure all mommies can relate to. What does this have to do with chicken you ask... absolutely nothing. I like the color coral, and German Shorthaired Pointers. Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken 2 tbsp olive oil your favorite dry rub
Instructions: 1. Remove all of the gizzards from the chicken and discard or save for other purposes. 2. (This step is optional but delicious) If you want to brine your chicken, get a large bowl (large enough for the chicken and then some) and fill it with water. Add 1/4 cup salt and a 1/4 cup brown sugar. Stir it together and place your chicken in the water, fully submerged. My fridge was full, so I just topped my bowl off with ice. If you have room, return the bowl to the fridge and allow the chicken to sit in the brine for 3-6 hours.
3. Using your kitchen scissors, cut up the entire length of the breast bone, starting at the neck.
4. Then, in order to flatten the bird a little more, go ahead and cut another 1-2 inch slit up the back of his dead chicken fanny.
5. Pat your chicken dry. 6. Drizzle a few tbsp of olive oil over the chicken (I did both sides). 7. Generously coat with your favorite dry rub. (I used a combination of Kicken Chicken and Spicy Sea Salt.) 8. Get your grill going in the range of 350 degrees. 9. Put the chicken on the top rack chances are, it won't fit on the bottom if your grill has two tiers. (If your grill only has one, you may need to shorten the cooking time to compensate for the proximity to heat.) Make sure the chicken in placed insides down/facing the heat. 10. Cook for roughly 30 minutes. If your grill cooks unevenly (ours gets hotter on the right side) consider shifting or rotating the chicken half way through. I just did a 180 degree clockwise (or maybe counter clockwise haha) rotation. 11. Cook for roughly another 20-30 minutes. If your grill is hotter, cooler, or your chicken is larger/smaller, this time may vary. Just use a meat thermometer to verify the temperature. The middle of the breasts are normally the last part to fully cook. You want your meat to be 160 degrees in all parts; so test a few. 12. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for 5-8 minutes before cutting it. 13. Quarter the chicken with a large knife and serve. Enjoy!
